When should you promote your content on social media?

A question that opens the door to a vast number of answers.

There’s the really technical side, where we advise you to publish on Saturdays at noon on Facebook. But if everyone published at the same time, social media would feel incredibly boring.

Here is a quick high-level view on the topic of when:

1. The same day you hit “publish.”

This one’s pretty obvious. You want to start promoting your new content right away. As soon as you release a piece of content, start sharing it on your social media channels.

2. Promote again the day after.

Don’t be afraid to share your content on social media more than once. You can share it again the next day, as it’s unlikely that all of your readers, or even the majority, saw it the first time.

3. Share the content once more a week later.

At a minimum, you want to share a third time, one week later. Stop worrying about oversharing, especially at this level. It’s unlikely that your audience will even notice.

4. Push the limits with multiple shares.

I want to make sure you understand that these recommendations are only a minimum. You can do so much more when you invest in sharing multiple times.

How to promote your content on social media.

This can go one or two ways.

We could tell you to promote your content on your own profile, through advertising or encouraging others to share.

How to promote your content on social media falls into two categories: form and method. We just described method. Here are some forms that you can address.

1. Embrace visuals.

People love visuals. Photos on Facebook generate 53 percent more likes. YouTube gets over 4 million views a day. Instagram passed Twitter for daily active users.

Want to really succeed with promotion on social media? Find new and creative ways to use visuals to complement your content.

2. Test different headlines.

A powerful headline can mean the difference between thousands of people clicking your post and it going completely unnoticed. Test different headlines every time you share the content.

Not only will it give you some insight into the types of headlines that work, it’ll keep things fresh for your audience. It’s hard for your audience to get bored with your sharing when it’s a bit different every time.

3. Customize the message for each platform.

If you’re not customizing your message for each social media channel, you’re doing it wrong. Each channel has nuances that make it unique.

You must understand the differences of the various social media platforms and respect them to truly make an impact.

Where to promote your content on social media.

The answer here may seem obvious. Where should you promote content on social media? Uh, on social media. Yes, you’re right. But there’s more to it than that.

What if we told you to meet us in Jozi? Most people would know how to get there. But it’s a big city with lots of potential meeting places. If that’s all you had to go on, we’d never find each other.

Now apply the same to social media the same way.

1. Share with your network.

Never forget to share the content directly with your audience. If you do nothing else, do this. Post your content on each social channel you have an active presence on.

2. Participate in groups.

Networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ have niche communities and groups. If you actively participate in discussions, don’t hesitate to share your content here.

Always respect the community guidelines. Add to the conversation – don’t just spam your link.

3. Leverage your profile.

If you have a special piece of content that you’d like to promote, leverage your profile. Some ideas for promoting content this way include:

1. Portfolio links on LinkedIn

2. Cover photo on Facebook

3. Link in your bio on Twitter: